Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age. – French Proverb

Sacred Number Seven

Seven is commonly thought of as a mystic or sacred number. It is four and three, which were considered lucky numbers by Pythagoras

A few days ago, I celebrated my 49th sun and 50th moon cycles. Being Chinese, I look at our traditional system of aging and based on the Chinese lunar calendar, I am 50 and my birthday passed in December, but according to the Western Gregorian calendar, my birth date is in January, and I am 49.

Now this is a basic question – how old are you?
Yet I am not sure…

So this has made me think of movement of life and the meaning of numbers. Turning 50 has always been celebrated in Western culture as a significant passage – it’s half a century, and in ancient times, we were closer to death than to life.

So on my 7 x 7 Jubilee year, I wanted to share some sweet sacred sevens…enjoy!

Bible

In the Bible there are Seven days of Genesis, Seven days in the week, Seven graces, Seven deadly sins, Seven years of famine, Seven years of plenty, Seven divisions in the Lord’s Prayer and Seven gifts of the Holy Ghost

Every Seventh year was sabbatical, and Seven times Seven years is the jubilee, along with Seven days being the celebration of weddings and mourning for the dead.

The three great Jewish feasts Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Festival of Booths) last Seven days; and between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are Seven weeks. The Talmud has Seven stages in the life of man, and the Seventh son of a Seventh son is thought to have mystical and magical powers.

Biblical purifications last Seven days; Balaam had Seven alters, and sacrificed Seven bullocks and Seven rams; Naaman dipped Seven times in the Jordan river; Elijah prayed Seven times, and sent his servant Seven times to look for rain.

Arabians have Seven holy temples and Persian legends talk of Seven caverns which aspirants must pass in Seventy years.

In Egypt, Seven is sacred to Osiris and there are Seven Hothors who predict or bestow a newborn’s fate. Pharaoh had a dream where he saw Seven years for his wives, and Seven priests with Seven trumpets marched round Jericho once every day, but Seven times on the Seventh day.

Samson’s wedding feast lasted Seven days; on the Seventh he told his bride the riddle, he was bound Seven times, and Seven locks of his hair were cut off.

Nebuchadnezzar was a beast for Seven years. Astrologers and alchemists recognized Seven planets, and there are many ancient theories connecting Seven with the human body and phases of development and formation

In Greco-Roman mythology, Apollos harp has Seven strings, and according to Orphic legends, was torn into Seven pieces, and Pan has Seven reeds in his pipe.

Seven Sages Name were given by Greek tradition to Seven men of practical wisdom ~ statesmen, law-givers, and philosophers – Solon of Athens, Thales of Miletus, Pittacus of Mitylene, Cleobulus of Rhodes, Chilon of Sparta, Bias of Priene, and Periander of Corinth.

Arabians have Seven holy temples and Persian legends talk of Seven caverns which aspirants must pass in Seventy years.

In Egypt, Seven is sacred to Osiris and there are Seven Hothors who predict or bestow a newborn’s fate. A whirling dervish turns Seven times toward heaven before spinning

Pharaoh had a dream where he saw Seven years for his wives; Seven priests with seven trumpets marched round Jericho once every day, but Seven times on the Seventh day.

Samson’s wedding feast lasted Seven days; on the Seventh he told his bride the riddle, he was bound Seven times, and Seven locks of his hair were cut off.

Folklore

Snow White had Seven Dwarfs helping her and there is The Island of the Seven Cities. This is a land of Spanish folklore where Seven bishops founded Seven cities. The legend says that whoever visits the island never leaves it.

A collection of tales, Seven Wise Mastersis about a sultans sons education in the Seven liberal arts by Seven wise masters. Also known as The Seven Viziers, The Story of the Seven Sages, or Sinbadnameh. During Seven days when the prince was ordered to maintain silence, his stepmother tried to seduce him. Having failed, she tried to accuse the prince and sought to bring his death by telling Seven stories. Each of her narratives was confuted by Seven sages, who in turn told their tales. There are versions of these tales and the oldest text is in The Thousand and One Nights

A traditional English rhyme:

As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with Seven wives.

Each wife had Seven sacks, Each sack had Seven cats,

Each cat had Seven kits, Kits, cats, sacks, wives–

How many were going to St. Ives?

Seven Dwarfs – are two S’s, two D’s, and three emotions.
S’s: Sleepy and Sneezy; D’s: Dopey and Doc; emotions: Happy, Bashful, and Grumpy.

Shakespeare made literary reference to Seven in King Lear and his most frequently quoted line is from “as You Like It”, and refers to the Seven ages of man: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and second childhood, “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”.

History

Seven Champions are the mediaeval patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Spain, and Italy – 1) St. George of England was Seven years imprisoned by Almidor, the black king of Morocco 2) St. Denys of France lived Seven years in the form of a hart 3) St. James of Spain was Seven years dumb out of love for a fair Jewess 4) St. Anthony of Italy, was enchanted into deep sleep and released by St. George’s sons, who quenched the Seven lamps 5) St. Andrew of Scotland delivered six ladies who had lived Seven years in the form of white swans 6) St. Patrick of Ireland was in a cell where he scratched his own grave 7) St. David of Wales slept Seven years in the enchanted garden of Ormandine

In Buddhism Seven represents ascent toward the spiritual center which happens in Seven stages. Muslims have Seven heavens and a whirling dervish turns Seven times toward heaven before spinning.

Seven Heavens is a concept of ultimate spiritual bliss based upon the Koran. Muslims believe Allah created Seven heavens, on above another, and the Prophet Muhammed was carried there on his horse Borak.

The Muhammadan Seventh Heaven, is said to be “beyond the power of description.” One goes after death to the Heaven earned on earth, and the Seventh Heaven, ruled by Abraham, is the ultimate one, a region of pure light lying above the others, the Heaven of Heavens.

In India, there are Seven Chakras (energy centers) in the body which correspond to states of consciousness, developmental stages of life, archetypal elements, body functions, colors, sounds, and more. They formulatewholeness and are a template for transformation.

Japanese have Seven gods of luck known as Shichi-fuku-jin. They are comical deities depicted on a treasure ship. The Shichi-fuku-jin are personifications of earthly happiness in Japanese folk religion.

Hotei ~ laughing Buddha of mirth and merriment

Bishamonten ~ watchman

Fukurokuju ~ god of longevity

Jurojin ~ god of scholorship

Daikoku ~ god of nutrition

Ebisu ~ god of fishing

Benzaiten ~ goddess of music

7 More Sevens

Seven Liberal Arts – classification of educational curriculum in the West during the Middle Ages, from late fifth century AD onwards. The name ‘liberal arts’ originates with Aristotle who talks of the basic knowledge needed for a properly educated citizen. They were divided into the trivium: grammar (i.e. literature), rhetoric, and dialectic, and the advanced quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.

Seven Lamps of Architecture by John Ruskin, published in 1849 – Sacrifice, Truth, Power, Beauty, Life, Memory, and Obedience.

Seven Seas – Arctic and Antarctic, North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – 1) Pyramids at Giza, Egypt 2)The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Asia Minor 3) The Colossus of Rhodes 4) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon 5) The Statue of Zeus at Olympia 6) The Pharos of Alexandria 7) Mausoleum at Halicamassus, Asia Minor

Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages – 1) The Colosseum of Rome 2) The Catacombs of Alexandria, Egypt 3) The Great Wall of China 4) Stonehenge 5) The Leaning Tower of Pisa 6) The Porcelain Tower of Nanking 7) The Mosque of Hagia Sophia

The Seven-year itch has been synonymous for sexual desire since 1660. When first recorded in 1899, it meant “a type of itch allegedly requiring Seven years of healing.” Influenced by the sense of itch as a metaphor for sexual desire, it came to mean a married persons urge to roam after Seven years of marriage, a meaning popularized by The Seven Year Itch (1955) with Marilyn Monroe.

Hope all y’all had fun with these numbers….I did!

The years between fifty and Seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down.– T.S. Eliot

CORA WEN grew up in a traditional Chinese household in Asia and the West, and took refuge in the Buddha as a teen. After sowing wild oats in New York City throug the late 70s, she had 2 successful careers in Fashion and Banking. She spent her childhood in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Switzerland, Australia and the US, and has travelled extensively in Southeast Asia. Since 1994, Cora has taught Yoga internationally, mentored by America’s most influential Yoga lineage. She has been dedicated since 2002 in support of indigenous culture for exiled Tibetan people and Cambodian land mine victims. www.corawen.com ERYT500 Yoga Alliance CYT Internatianal Association of Yoga Therapists

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About Cora Wen

CORA WEN grew up in a traditional Chinese family in Asia and the West, and took refuge in the Buddha as a teen. An international childhood growing up in Hong Kong and Indonesia, Switzerland, Australia and the US, has instilled the spirit of a travelling adventurer. After sowing wild oats in New York City in the 70s with rockers Deborah Harry and Patti Smith, she had careers in fashion and banking. Since 1994, Cora has taught Yoga, mentored by America’s most influential Yoga lineage. She has been dedicated since 2002 in support of indigenous culture for exiled Tibetan people and land mine victims. Find her at www.corawen.com.

3793814 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fthe-sacred-7seven%2FSacred+Number+7Seven+%7E+Did+You+Know...%3F2010-01-22+00%3A28%3A48Cora+Wenhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F%3Fp%3D37938 to “Sacred Number 7Seven ~ Did You Know…?”

OK, Cora, fess up. How did you accumulate all these interesting seven facts. And don't tell me you just pulled them out of your head, because that would be very intellectually intimidating.

Did you google "seven" seven times? Did you read seven Wikipedia entries? Did you receive seven revelations from seven gurus during seven meditations? Did you light seven holy candles of knowledge? Did you take seven imaginary trips to the other side of the moon? Did you consult seven ancient sages in seven dreams?

ok so i belly laughed bobs comment…after all it is real by appearances and yeh where the ! did you get all those facts…?!…how can i use seven in my daily life…? is the question to which i am answered within just enjoy the ponderings …however, i am not sure if i can wish you a happy birthday or not based on timing, or anything else. is it indeed appropriate even to use the phrase ? heck happy birth moment? a realisation of right now which has already passed….so maybe its just sitting back and contemplating in which case this is not a relevant comment at all…and needs to be instead a blank box creating space for such a thing to occur….ok have filled the box ….(nearly)

It should be noted, by the way, that the "lucky number 7" comes not from any metaphysical base, but the simple fact that, if you roll a pair of dice, seven is actually the most likely number to come up, as whatever number comes up on the first die, it can combine with a number on the second to make seven: 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, etc., and that's not the case with any other number.

The number 7 is also the number associated w/ Yemanja, the Afro-Brazilian Goddess of the Ocean/Mother Ocean, for the seven seas. She is the mother of all beings, hence she's also known as Mother Earth. In Cuba she is called Yemaya. We throw 7 white roses into the sea whenever we do an ocean ceremony in her honor.

In Astrology, 7 years' cycle is also associated with Uranus, the planet of change, which moves into a new sign every 7 years and brings changes in whichever area it moves to in your chart. (Hence the seven year itch!)

Saturn also makes its toughest ("challenging") transit every 7 years so we can learn whatever life is teaching us. The first Saturn return, for example, happens when we're 28 (4×7).

In Astrology, 7 years' cycle is also associated with Uranus, the planet of change, which moves into a new sign every 7 years and brings changes in whichever area it moves to in your chart. (Hence the seven year itch!)

Saturn the great teacher makes a challenging aspect to the natal chart every 7 years. For example, Saturn return usually happens in our 28th year (4×7), when we finally realize we're adults!

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